Look Keo Cleats - colour coding impact?

arlowood

Did the sideways felled tree impression last weekend when my left cleat would not disengage in time at a road junction. Problem later diagnosed as a missing fixing screw and washer plate at the toe end of the cleat.

Went on to Amazon and ordered some replacements - these being red in colour. My old ones were grey. Did not realise at the time that there was a difference until I got the new ones delivered and saw on the packaging that the red cleats have 9 deg float while the grey ones have 4.5 deg. The black ones have 0 float.

Fitted the new red ones and did a couple of 20 mile rides yesterday and today. On both occassions I had some niggling pains in my left knee which has not troubled me at all in the past.

Is it likely that the extra float with the red cleats is to blame? Should I go back and buy some grey ones or persevere and see if the pains disappear? Or should I even consider some black ones.

Any suggestions out there.

gsk82

i'm no physio but i would've thought that more float wouldn't cause problems as it allows more natural movement. you could just be imagining the pain.

RedJohn

Are you sure the new cleats are positioned in the exact same posiiton as the old ones?

giant_man

I would have thought having a cleat that gives more float is better for your knees cos there's more movement there. On my old Look delta cleats which I still use, I go for the red ones cos it's more forgiving on the old legs.

arlowood

RedJohn wrote:

Are you sure the new cleats are positioned in the exact same posiiton as the old ones?

Hi RedJohn

Yes, I traced around the old ones before I removed them to make sure the new ones were in the same position.

I will give the red ones another week to see if the knee niggles persist. At the same time I plan to order a grey pair in case I feel the need to swap. They won't go to waste as I'll keep them to replace the reds when they eventually wear out.

I understand the arguments from other posters about the extra float being benficial and allowing a more natural flexing of the knee/leg. However I've been riding with the grey cleats for quite a few years so maybe my knee has "stabilised" to the level of float offered by the grey cleats. The extra movement allowed by the reds might be giving the joint too much freedom.

Anyway the jury's out for the moment until I can get in a few more miles on the reds.

rolf_f

If 'more float won't cause any problems' it would suggest there is no need for restricted float cleats to be made in the first place! Stick with what works.

turnerjohn

I ride both red and grey and dont notice any difference...in theory you shouldn't as efficent pedling. Its widely accepted that more float is better for dodgy knees and joints.
One theory; how tight have you got the tension on the pedals ? Your old setup may have been (if the tensions were high) stopping your feet from moving due to the incorect cleat set up in the first place; I'd play at the cleat position. A small amount of adjustment can (over a few hours) make a massive difference on your feet.
I was getting discomfort after a cleat change and I could have sworn I put the new one in the same position...I tweeked it by a few mm and it solved the problem !
Think location is the issue here